Automatic wood-saw



L. D. STURM. AUTOMATIC woon sAw. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, |919.

Patented Mar. 1920.

2 sHEETs-sHET I.

L. D. STURM.

AUTOMATIC W00@ SAW.

APPLlcATxoN mEn FEB.5.1919.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- A TTORNE Y LEWIS D. STURM, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

AUTOMATIC WOOD-SAW.

Specioaton of Letters Iatent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Application filed February 5, 1919. Serial No. 275,068.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lewis D. STURM, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon,have invented a new and useful Automatic Wood-Saw, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wood saws, in which four-footlong sticks of cord wood are deposited on an inclined table andautomatically, by means of conveyer chains, carried past a plurality ofcircular saws, whereby said sticks are cut into blocks of requisitestove length.

The objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a machine which eliminates the rehandling of everyindividual block of wood, so that the time of sawing a definite quantityis vastly shortened and also the necessary labor materially reduced.

Second, to produce blocks which are all of equal length.

Third, to provide a machine which may be used either movably orstationarily.

Fourth, to provide a machine which will drop the blocks ldirectly into awagon where delivery from a wood yard to a customer is intended.

Fifth, to make provisions for easy changing of the saws.

Sixth, to make provisions for the instantaneous release of the conveyermechanism in case the saws should be crowded.

I attain these objects with the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which,

Figure I is a side elevation of the entire machine, also hereinafterreferred to as right-hand side;

Fig. II is a plan view.

Fig. III is a rear elevation;

Fig. IV is a side elevation, opposite to the one shown in Fig. I, t'. e.the left hand side;

Fig. V s an 'elevation of the releasing mechanism for the chainconveyors, as it would appear from the front of the machine.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

On la horizontal frame 1, and supported by suitable posts 2 is mountedthe inclined table 3. Attached to the under side of said table (Fig. I)are the bearings 4 for the shaft 5 and the bearings 6 for the shaft 7 InFig. II it appears that shaft 5 is equipped with two circular saws 8 and8a, both saws placed at about equal distance from the longitudinalcenter line of the table, but the number of saws as well as theirlocation on the shaft may be varied without affecting the principle ofmy machine. S0 also, though shaft 7 shows one circular saw 9 at thecenter line of the table, the same reservation applies to this case.

The saw blades project through the slots 10 beyond the upper surface ofthe table I3 so that a stick of wood drawn across the table will bedivided into blocks of a length corresponding with the setting of thesaws. To carry the stick automatically across the table, conveyer chains11 are mounted on each side of the saws, crossing the table inlongitudinal directions. Thesechains run in grooves 12 (Fig. II) andhave attached at certain intervals Scrapers `13 whichl insure thepropelling of the sticks past the saws or, farther on, the blocks overthe edge of the table. At 14: in Figs. I and II is shown such a stickwhich has been out into blocks and is on the point of being dropped overthe upper edge of the table.

Sprocket wheels at both ends of the table provide for the return of thechain conveyers. At the upper end these sprocket wheels are designatedby the numeral 15, the shaft on which latter are mounted by 16, and thenecessary bearings for the shaft by 17. The corresponding sprocketwheels, shaft and bearings at the lower edge of the table are designatedby the numerals 18, 19 and 20 respectively.

It may here be mentioned that the upper l sprocket wheels are setslightly divergent from the line of the lower sprocket wheels. This isdesirable in order to relieve the saws yas much as ossible from inchino.

The conveyer chains `in course of time will stretch and sag, and have atendency to sway against the adjacent saw blades, much to the damage ofeach other. To eliminate this danger, and also to insure an evenstretching of the conveyer chains, I have provided a stabilizer in theshape of the ianged pulleys 21 resting on the conveyer chains 11. Saidpulleys are mountedon the shaft 22 and the latter is held in its placeby the slotted bearings 23.

The driving power for my apparatus is furnished by any suitable powergenerator, in this case by the engine 23a of the truck 23b itself. Thefly wheel 24e, by means of lbelt connection 25 drives the shaft 26. Thisshaft is located at the right hand side of the 'machine and attached tothe horizontal frame l 'by means of the bearing 27'; from' thence by thequarter-turn belt 28 the shaft 5 is driven.

A chain drive 29 at the left hand side connects shaft 5 with shaft 7.From shaft-7, but` at the .right .handside of the .machine, belt 30drives the conveyer mechanism. However, in order to give a suiicientreduction of. speed, two intermediate shafts 3l and 32 are introduced.Both shafts may be located onthe horizontal frame l`v and transmissionbetween both may be accomplished by a suitable pinion 33 (Fig. IV) onshaft 31 and a gear 34 on the shaft 32. Fromthe'latter shaft, at theleft hand side of the machine, the chain drive 35connects with the shaft16 at the upper end of the table..

If for some reason the saws shouldnot Vcut as fast/Tas the conveyerchains feed, I have made provisions for an instant release of theconveying mechanism. F or this purpose an idle` pulley 36 pressesconstantly against thebelt 30, saidpulley beingI pivoted at the upperend ofthe vertical lever 37, the lower endbeing held 'to the horizontalframe 1 by a tension spring 38.v Said lever being fulcrumed by meansofshaft 39`in bearings 40 ontheh'orizontal frame l (see Fig. V); A rope4l,yattached with one endV to an eyelet 42at `th`e upper part of thevertical lever 37, and'witlr the other end .attached to the inclinedtable 3, enables thel operator to withdraw thegpulleyv from the belt30land to stopthe conveying mechanism from feeding tillv the .saws 'haveagain reached their full s eed.T

PA board. 43 mountedat the lower end of .the table 3", atapproximately'rightan les to the latter, forms a convenient hopper orthe reception'of the wooden sticks. Apertures 43a' (Fig. II') permitfree passage/to the Scrapers 13.` A suitable guard 44, atione end lofthehopper, insures the'correctv startingjvpointfor the wooden sticks. yinorder to have all the blocks :offeven length.

In' these drawings f thelmachine 'is shown mounted on'aftruck 23b tomake it'quickly available at differentplac'es. For stationaryyuse, anyother suitable lbase may be sub'- stituted `'and other powergenerators'may be employed." y

The saws 8," 8" and`9, andthe sprocket wheels for the chain 29v on .theshafts 5` and 7` are alli fastened with set screws. In changing thesaws, thesetscrews: are loosened,', the shafts withdrawn from theirbearings, andthe required change can b'e made without diiiiculty.l

Where'a lcustomer requires only two cuts in his wood, the upper lefthand saw 8a is removed entirely and the Aright hand saw.. isshiftedtoward'the center of the table to occupy the slot 45, while thelower saw is shifted from the center toward the left Side into slot 46.Where only one cut is re quired, both upper` saws are removed and thelower saw remains where it is shown at present.

I-Iaving described my invention, it will be;,seenthat my objects havebeen accomplished, and though I have shown the preferred formofmyinvention, I reserve to myself the right to make minor changes ofconstruction providing I do not violate the spirit and principles .of myclaims.

I`claim:

1. In an automatic wood-saw, the combination of an auto truck having Aapropelling engine and a body portion, with a table surmounting the bodyportion, saidtable inclining upward `from the engine toward the rearofthe truck, a plurality of rotary saws on the table, chain conveyersascending the tableon eacht side ofthe rotary saws, and mechanism to`drivethe saws and vchain conveyers from the flywheel of the propellingengine. A 2, 'In an automatic wood-saw, the combination of an auto truckhavingga propelling engine and a body portion, with a table` onl thebody portion inclining upward from the engine toward the rear of thetruck, afsecond table abuttingthe first-namedtable at the` lower end'and inclining upward toward the engine, al pluralityof chain conveyersemerging atthe juncture of th'e two tables and ascending in ua. slightlydiverging direction to the ,upper edge ofthe trstenamedtable, aplurality of rotaryysaws mounted' between the chain conveyers,and meansto drive the saws and chain conveyers from the flywheel of lthe autotruck engine.

3. In an automatic ,wood-saw, Atheecombination of 'an auto .truckhavingnabodyl portion and a propelling engineon the body portion,withpaninclined table. on th'ebody portionandadjacentto the engine,yrotary saws on the table, chain conveyersvdescendingbelow said tableoneach side of.v the' saws, guidingpulleys resting on the.`chainlconveyers to keep the latter from swayingagainst the rotary saws, ashaft to mount fthejguiding pulleys, uides at'eachend of said "shaft,

saidv guides. eingattaehedto the .underside 4ofthe inclined table,andgmeanstofdrive saws `and chain conveyers vfrom -the flywheel oftheauto truck engine.

4f.i In anautomatic 4wood-saw, the .combi-l nation ofan auto truck,l1aving a-,body portionl and 'a propelling engine, with-a.V woodsawinggelevatorA mounted on the body ,por-

tion, la transmission shaftifor driving the,

woodfsawing-.elevator attached to oneside and' parallell with the body`portion, vsaid transmission shaftbeingr drivenl from the flywheel fofthe auto truck engine..

5j. In an `automatic: ,woodsaw, the ,combiy nation of an auto` truckh'avingfa body p0rtion and a propellin engine, with a wood sawingelevator on t e body portion, said wood sawing elevator comprising aninclined table with rotary saws and chain conveyers, a board across thelower end of the inclined table at approximately right angles to thelatter, a removable guard at one end of the valley formed by table andboard, and mechanism to drive the wood sawing elevator from the flywheelof the auto truck engine.

6. In an automatic wood-saw, the combination of an auto truck having apropelling engine, with an inclined table on the truck and adjacent tothe engine, a plurality of chain conveyers ascending the table andreturning below the table, a stabilizing weight on the returning run ofthe chain conveyers, a plurality of rotary saws attached to the table,shafts to support the saws, driving mechanism between saw shafts andpropelling engine, an intermediate shaft driven by a belt from the sawshaft, a second intermediate shaft driven by a gear from the first-namedintermediate shaft, a chain drive from the second intermediate shaft tothe chain conveyers, and means to render the belt connection between thesaw shafts and the rst-named intermediate shaft instantly inoperative.

7 In an automatic wood-saw, the combination of an auto truck having apropelling engine, with an inclined table on the truck, a plurality ofchain conveyers ascending the table, rotary saws on the table betweenthe chain conveyers, shafts to support the saws, mechanism to drive thesaws from the flywheel of the propelling engine, an intermediate shaftdriven by a belt from the saw shafts, a second intermediate shaft drivenby a gear from the first-named intermediate shaft, a chain drive fromthe second intermediate shaft to the chain conveyers, a lever withtension spring and pulley pressing against the belt between the sawshafts and the first-named intermediate shaft, capable of being manuallywithdrawn and thereby to stop the motion of the chain conveyers.

LEWIS D. STUK-M.

